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It would be good if someone who knows, could put a set of instructions of how to do this and people could volunteer to do say a county each...feeding back to Simon who had the initiative to start this off..

The end result will be a very powerful image which show people in a second just how ridiculous the access situation is.... i am hoping we can get the BCU Access Officers involved. Does anyone have a list of them with contact details?

All the photos can be viewed on our flickr albums:
Freshwater wild swimming photographs on Flickr
Coastal wild swimming photographs on Flickr

NB Do you want to know if the new guidebook "Wild Swimming: 150 Hidden Dips" covers your favourite areas? Click here to see all the regional maps from the book.

Wild swimming map uploading instructions

Click on 'view larger map' in the bottom left hand corner which will open up the full UK google map on wild swimming. (You'll need a google account (from gmail, picasa web albums, google checkout etc - if you don't have an account just mail your contribution to maps at wildswimming co uk).

Click a placemark to view some of the wild swim entries - a box pops up with a description and sometimes a photo. You can zoom in and move around using the tools.

To ADD a new place, first click 'Edit', on the left of the screen, near the map description. Zoom in to find the exact location of the river or lake or wild swim you want to add. When found, right-click and chose 'Add a placemark' from the drop-down menu that appears by your cursor.

Make sure to include a description and directions too, plus info on parking. Tell us a story about your time there and how you found it.

To add a PHOTO (please!) choose 'Rich Text' (rather than 'Plain text' or 'Edit Html') from the options at the top of the box. Then click on the image button on the far right of the box. When asked, paste in the web link address to the wild swimming image. The image must be online somewhere already. So perhaps you can find one on a blog or website or on Flickr.com, Picasa web albums or Geograph.org.uk. Do a Goggle image search or link to your own blog / album / website. You can find the link location (url address) of images on the web by right clicking on them and chosing Properties (in MS Internet Explore) or copy image location (in Firefox).

Google canoodle in new waterways pilot Canoe-based camera to map river and canals

How the new Google River View, which is being piloted in Leeds, could look Photograph: guardian.co.uk
Web giant Google has chosen Leeds as the UK pilot destination for testing a river-based version of its popular Google Street View service, I can exclusively reveal.

The service will map the waterways of Great Britain using a canoe-based camera. In a major coup for the city, it's expected the River Aire will be mapped this way, along with the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.

Leeds has apparently been chosen as the first place in the world to pilot the scheme as the city has "an interesting visual mix of industrial and commercial river landscapes, not to mention flora and fauna".

Launched in May 2007, Google Street View allows users to explore the world virtually at street level and has proved hugely popular.

Google River View  which is expected to be rolled out across the UK ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London  could become a favourite among anglers, ornithologists, riverside wildlife enthusiasts and limnologists. It should also prove popular among tourists planning canal boat trips or river cruising holidays.

River View is the latest in a series of Google Street View innovations which saw the California-based company launch a service at this year's Vancouver Winter Olympics which mapped the city's ski slopes using a snowmobile. While a Google trike takes pictures of places not accessible by car.

It is believed that images for Google River View will be taken from a modified nautical vessel using sail pro-flo image capturing technology.

"For Google to be testing this service in Leeds is a massive boost for this city, not just in publicity terms, but from an online perspective, too.

"Leeds has strong digital credentials  from Freeserve in the late 90s, to the pioneering new super-fast 100Mbps fibre optic internet access now  and this announcement will only improve its online reputation."

Leeds has been chosen as the pilot scheme because of its varied mix of waterways, such as the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Clarence Dock and the River Aire - which cuts through the heart of the city and runs underneath the mainline train station. It has a varied mix of waterside views, from natural riverbank habitats, its industrial heritage to trendy riverside apartments and bars.

Adopting a river: How to get out, get dirty, and make a difference!

We are not alone.....

From their website;.....

Cooperation or conflict?

Another pitfall is having a number of conflicting aims. One difficulty that river groups often come across is the potential conflict between people who have different visions of our riverside world. There may well be differences of opinion between landowers who want to keep parts of their estate private and those who believe in greater public access and the right to roam; between local councils who (as they see it) are trying to allow new homes to revitalize the economy and environmentalists who would prefer no new development on greenfield land; or between fishermen and country-sports enthusiasts, on the one hand, and people who believe such things are morally wrong, on the other. Generally speaking, community groups and projects work best when they are as inclusive as possible: seek the common ground if you possibly can; try to involve as many different people in your group or project as you possibly can. As a general rule, cooperation is the best way to go.

Having said that, the world is dominated by economic interests and environmental protection often ranks as little more than an afterthought. Local councils may well be working for the good of the community, but some, demonstrably, also work hand-in-hand with property developers. National government policies may also be socially motivatedbut they too are just as susceptible to special pleading and vested interests. Inevitably, there are times when cooperation gets you nowhere. The meek may well inherit the Earth, but it'll be an Earth covered with motorways, housing developments, landfills, and quarries. There are times when you have no choice but to take a confrontational stance, however reluctantly.

If your local river is a mess and you want to do something about it, a confrontational, finger-pointing campaign, perhaps waged with the help of your local newspaper, can work wonders. But don't be confrontational for the sake of it. Use confrontation to win over your opponents. Get the bad guys on your side. Make them see the error of their ways and clean up their act. Use confrontation to make them cooperate in the broader interests of your community.

The ideas is to inform them about the lack of access in the UK so they can ask questions as well as us.

I know this all takes a lot of time but your efforts are greatly appreciated. We have the opportunity to get our message out to the world during this next Olympic year. Let us not miss that opportunity. It is up to us, not any governing body. If we want access we must fight for it because if the new waterways charities go against us then we could find ourselves with less places to paddle.

re mapping, I'm sure most are aware of this, which covers the BW 'permitted' waterways.

Now to fill in the red lines. What criteria are being used as 'paddleable'? I made a quick .kml of the middle and lower Kennet (do I send this to you SimonMW?), but I left out the upper, because I think it's mostly unpaddleable above Hungerford (although there are some sections that have received complaints about canoeists). Do we go on water depth and, if so, do we need to account for seasonal variation, or do we just include river sections that are good at any time of year? Where a river has multiple channels should they all be included, or do we just go for one main river status channel i.e. wider than 3m and/or the responsibility of the EA? Do we use Rev'd Dr Caffyns Category A evidence or extend to the Category B historical reports, and if so are we using historical navigation rights or should we be only including currently practical navigability (is that a word?)?

I think it's worth getting this right up front to avoid potential criticism of the figures that are eventually delivered... or is the intention just to produce an illustrative indication?

The RAC says that Brighton Uni produced the figure (for DEFRA?) quoted in the statement that "There are in excess of 65,000 kilometres of rivers with NO ACCESS" - what were their definitions of a river, and can we get hold of them?

Discuss

Well this is my effort. I can annotate and churn these out easily in my spare time

Canoes and Kayaks invited to participate in 30th Anniversary of The Rother Raft Race

The Rother Raft Race holds its 30th Anniversary and celebrations on Sunday the 28th August at Cowdray Castle, Midhurst, West Sussex on the Western River Rother.

For the first time ever canoes and kayaks have been invited to particpate. This is a huge opportunity to 'get onside' the South Downs National Park Authority, situated in Capron House, a half mile from the Start Point for the Race.

There will be alot of local and nantional publicity.

For more info access the Rother Raft Race website.

This is a charity fundraiser for local children's charity Dreams Come True.

This event - coinciding with the Madhurst Music Festival - has all the right ingredients to influence important potential supporters.

With 2012 being the olympic year please write or contact every newspaper & tv company you can to get the lack of access message across. Had some luck with the BBC and ITV but we need a lot more from a lot more people about access in there areas as well.

Hi folks,
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, or if anything similiar has been already posted.
Living in N. Ireland, we don't have many issues regarding access.
If I want to take a short break with my canoe, to England or Wales.. say within the next two weeks, where do I find out about access to a particular river?? Bearing in mind, its not tourist info I'm after, its "legal" access. My idea would be to write to the MP of the area I intend visiting. Explaining that as a tourist to the area wishing to spend my hard earned cash. I would not want to encroach on any local agreements and need the info quite quickly. This would also be copied to the relevant government minister (maybe someone could add the relevant name)
The point to all this is, why not everyone do it, regardless of whether you know the river or not? It could be a bit more coordinated by picking a particular river on a given date, and listing the corresponding MP. Would this be a way of highlighting the issue?

"If you are not part of the solution, maybe you are part of the problem!"

Numbers

Originally Posted by dougdew99

Please post new ideas for things we can do... once we have a few we can vote on what to do next.

Meanwhile write to your MP and vote on 38 degrees

Can I suggest that all members update their profile page to include their particular paddle discilpine/s and signify whether they paddle "disputed water "or for various reason feel compelled to paddle "less confrontational waters , I see Jemma on the general thread is running a questionaire seeking some relevent information for her thesis,If we could ask the other canoeing forums to participate we could then collate the anonymous information to get an idea how much recreational paddlers contribute to CE and what numbers purely for the license . It would also give an idea to any other paddling organisation what we could contribute should they align themselves with us .We have ten over thousand members, thanks to John M with other like minded groups our combined financial muscle would be a potent force.

my other half and myself applied to join the royal flottila for the Queens diamond jubilee!
aparently they dont want a canoe tagging on behind!
has anyone heard of a canoe being accepted for it!
this would of been quite good publicity for our cause!!

Yes, I think new ideas rather than fighting for a right needs to be done in demonstrating the benefit of opening up access.

It may well have been said before, but I think pulling together all research already done regarding the benefits needs doing, then some more academic research on specific areas should be done. Lobbying students that have to decide what their PHD thesis is going to be about and get them to work for the access campaign.

I also think that rather than write to an MP and ask / demand that he/she support the right of access idea that we look into our MPs, what their areas of expertise are and what committees they are on and what they normally campaign or support are and then write to them highlighting how increased access furthers their own aims. Appeal to them from the same point of view that they are already leant towards.

Some MPs are for the environment - push that aspect to them, some are for increased local development and angle the letter towards access helping that aim. MPs that support health issues need targeting separately. Basically target MPs with specific information relating to them. Use their own ideas and aims for our benefit rather than trying to change them.

Some MPs are for the environment - push that aspect to them, some are for increased local development and angle the letter towards access helping that aim. MPs that support health issues need targeting separately. Basically target MPs with specific information relating to them. Use their own ideas and aims for our benefit rather than trying to change them.

My MP likes to promote the shooting of badgers and protecting the rights of rich landowners!! - Wonder how I can tie in access to that!
Sam

BBC Radio Five Live and Drive at BBC.co.uk are looking for comments positive and negative with 100 days to go on the olympics and if the legacy is affecting you. .i.e. no where to train as the rivers are not 'ours'.

Might be an idea for a mass writing stint. Also contact all members of the Royal family on issue and MP's again at this time. 100 days to go and what has changed....

Without everyone writing again it is just the usual few moaning on so PLEASE write. This is our last major chance to get some publicity using the olympics as well so don't miss out.

1-: Instead of a mass paddle to get us noticed why not do a mass portage, if instead of cancelling the Avon mass paddle last year we had put 50 canoes on the road through Christchurch it would certainly have been noticed (gridlock I think). It is still legal to take a hand cart on the highway, a canoe on wheels is the same as a handcart. No law says that handcarts can use the highway and no law says they can't, they are the oldest wheeled transport so just have ancient rights to use the roads. Canoes are the oldest water transport so we should have the same rights. We should be able to come up with some good slogans on the premise that it is legal to use our canoes on the highway but not the river.

2-: This one is a long shot and I think would have to be organised by CE. Most big sporting events have some form of activity prior to the big event to entertain the spectators who arrive early. If we could get permission to do a mass paddle down the Thames before the boat race we would have a big press coverage maybe even TV. 200 canoes or more paddling in formation would look good and we could hand out leaflets on the bank side to back it up.

The first I think could be very usefull in the right place, the second would be great but I don't think it would be possible to arrange.

Some new idea's
I would prefer to upset a few localised fishermen rather than the general public.
My reasons are there is very little chance of the local anglers wanting to call a truce and letting people paddle with no problems. The general public could be swayed to back all that want access if we dont cause them to get stuck in a traffic jam.

I really like the second idea. If CE don't want to get involved is there anything stopping those that want to handing out leaflets. Does anyone know what the rules thre are for any boats being on the water before. during and after the race.

Ratty (Russ)

I know only that what is moral is you feel good after. What is immoral is what you feel bad after.Ernest Hemingway

Fair point about upsetting the public but newspapers like different stories, canoes going down a river is not very interesting but on the road may get some coverage. We just need to limit the inconvenience to the public, maybe a long distance portage the length of a suitable river rather than large numbers.

Some new idea's
I would prefer to upset a few localised fishermen rather than the general public.
My reasons are there is very little chance of the local anglers wanting to call a truce and letting people paddle with no problems. The general public could be swayed to back all that want access if we dont cause them to get stuck in a traffic jam.

I'm a localised angler, and I've long wished to call a local truce. In fact, many local anglers in my neck of the woods are getting thoroughly fed up with all the conflict.

Many local anglers would much rather inconvenience the general public, than having militant sections of the angling community trying to impose some sort of intolerant doctrine on them.

So yeah ok, good idea, lets have a painfully slow portage down all three lanes of the M4 during rush hour .....

There are more than just two alternatives. One of the most powerful demonstrations of how canoeing and angling can peacefully coexist is to show that it already happens in many many places, canoeists and anglers working together to amicably resolve the things that can potentially cause conflict and demonstrate that where conflict does occur it is because of a lack of will on the part of a minority of anglers and landowners rather than intractable environmental issues or irreconcilable issues around the nature of the two pastimes.

Give us more success stories showing how it could be everywhere (and record them on the access map using the river access reports for individual rivers)

This talk of intentionally upsetting each other is not helpful to either side, it is an inevitable consequence of the delay in getting the government to take the problem seriously. The insistence that VAA's should be negotiated was a classic case of "Kill it in committee", we played the game for a while but it has caused more frustration, leading to us taking bites out of each other.

This talk of intentionally upsetting each other is not helpful to either side, it is an inevitable consequence of the delay in getting the government to take the problem seriously. The insistence that VAA's should be negotiated was a classic case of "Kill it in committee", we played the game for a while but it has caused more frustration, leading to us taking bites out of each other.

Who mentioned intentionally upsetting anyone.
I said rather upset a few anglers rather than the general public,
I didnt think I would need to highlight that of course the preferance would be to upset nobody at all.
We all want an easy life,
Paddlers want to paddle and have a pleasant day.
Anglers want to enjoy the moment of catching fish.
Some of us like to enjoy both.
But something has to give eventually and no doubt somebody is going to feel like their toes have been stepped on.

Ratty (Russ)

I know only that what is moral is you feel good after. What is immoral is what you feel bad after.Ernest Hemingway

There are more than just two alternatives. One of the most powerful demonstrations of how canoeing and angling can peacefully coexist is to show that it already happens in many many places, canoeists and anglers working together to amicably resolve the things that can potentially cause conflict and demonstrate that where conflict does occur it is because of a lack of will on the part of a minority of anglers and landowners rather than intractable environmental issues or irreconcilable issues around the nature of the two pastimes.

Give us more success stories showing how it could be everywhere (and record them on the access map using the river access reports for individual rivers)

I'll try Keith, but on my local river, some of the anglers are getting a little pissed off that we've been turned into a 'honeypot' site for canoeing at the whim of national convenience. I think it's all very unfair, and I am doing my very best to resist it. Access rights need to be opened everywhere, otherwise they will just be percieved as unjust

I'll try Keith, but on my local river, some of the anglers are getting a little pissed off that we've been turned into a 'honeypot' site for canoeing at the whim of national convenience. I think it's all very unfair, and I am doing my very best to resist it. Access rights need to be opened everywhere, otherwise they will just be percieved as unjust

It's a shame that your local river is suffering due to the ill-conceived VAA experiment, but some good may come from it if the problems are highlighted to put a bit more pressure on the politicians to sort it out with a workable plan instead.